Take My Brother Away is one of those series that may not look like much at first glance, but are actually extremely good, both in quality and presentation.

First of all, while the series mainly revolves around comedy, it's also very heavy on drama. Most series have a hard time juggling between both aspects, but Take My Brother Away does so almost flawlessly. It's amazing how they managed to handle both genres in such a fluid manner.

Acting is easily the best thing this series has to offer after the main plot. Both the main leads do a great job. Joseph Zheng as Shi Fen is particularly outstanding. Sun Qian also does a good job as Shi Miao. Secondary actors are not too far behind. All of them do a great work portraying their respective characters and imbuing some depth to them.

What I like the most about this drama is the heavy focus on sibling / family relationships instead of romance. Both Joseph Zheng and Sun Qian successfully manage to portray a brother-sister relationship that feels natural (and definitely non-romantic. God bless). That's very hard to achieve. Similarly, Hu Yong Tao (Wan Sui) and Ma Bai Quan (Wan Xing) offer a different and more fantastical, yet still valid, sibling relationship. Compared to Shi Feb and Shi Miao's more down to earth relationship, the interactions between the Wan brothers are a breath of fresh air.

Of course, Take My Brother Away isn't without some problems. The most critical is the odd episode structure. Most episodes are very unfocused and mix various plots in weird ways. Some sub plots serve little to no purpose to the main one. Some episodes have 2 consecutive main plots that have no relation to each other. It feels weird sometimes.

Would I recommend this series? Yeah, definitely. It's sort of a hidden gem amongst Netflix's catalogue of Asian dramas. I haven't heard much discussion about it. Go ahead and watch it. You won't regret it.

Leia Mais

I've never been to interested in series based around MMOs and esports, so I wasn't really expecting to like this as much as I did.

Storywise, The King's Avatar is super interesting. I really like that it only centered around the game and there weren't any romantic subplots. The focus is more on character evolution and they're all super likable. It probably has to do with the acting, which is pretty good as well. I'm particularly surprised with Yang Yang. I really didn't like him in Love O2O, but he does an excellent job here. Ye Xiu is a very fun character to watch.

Another surprising thing about The King's Avatar is the animation. The game segments actually look like a game. They're also very cinematic and visually pleasing. Music is also great. There are some nice themes here and there.

Overall, I'd say The King's Avatar is worth a watch. It's a little long (although average in length by chinese drama standards), but it's also fun to watch.

Leia Mais

Decent-ish, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary show. The plot is something that's mildly common in asian fiction (mostly anime/manga), but it's decently executed. Characters are fun and their interactions are enjoyable. The lead pair has a lot of chemistry and I really liked the evolution of their relationship. My only real problem is that it's only 6 episodes long and that this show could have benefited more with a longer batch of episodes. A few things were not touched upon, mostly the bromanship between Na Jin Wook and Jae Bum, and the relationship between Park Na Rae and Wang Rim.
Overall, it's cute and very easy to watch, so I'd recommend it for those who want to watch something really short with decent quality.

Leia Mais

Very light hearted Chinese drama with plenty of comedy. Most of the time, it's very sweet and fun, but also has some drama. It's just not as heavy as in other series. The "sweet" scenes, however, pack quite a punch. I think this is mostly due to both the cinematography and the score.

The soundtrack is great. The male lead is a pop idol, so he sings a lot. He has a great voice and all songs have a great composition and a pleasant melody. My favorite of the bunch is STAR, which is used in some of the best scenes.

As stated before, the cinematography is pretty good for a drama series. It's a step above most, at least. There's a particular scene which I enjoyed a lot that comes at the end of episode 27. You'll know why when you watch it.

Finally, the acting is the weakest part of the series; but that doesn't mean it's bad. Both Guo Fiction (Si Tu Feng) and Sun Yi Ning (Chen Qing Qing) mostly do a good job. Guo Fiction might feel awkward at times, but sort of fits his character. Sun Yi Ning is excellent as both Qing Qing and Qing Chen (Who are actually the same person but behave differently. No, this is not a spoiler). The supporting is decent. Only Ma Li (Gu Nan Xi) stands out, but that's mostly because he's pretty much a secondary lead.

If you're in the mood for watching a light hearted drama series with high production values, I kindly suggest you watch Accidentally in Love. It's definitely worth a watch. For some reason, finding a complete (and decent) subbed version on the Internet is hard despite it being on Netflix. I suggest you just watch it there for a better experience.

Leia Mais

Ms. Temper & Nam Jung Gi (A.K.A. My Horrible Boss) is a very different romcom drama from what we're used to. In fact, I would hardly classify it as a romcom. There is some romance, but it mostly takes a backseat and occurs in the background. The main focus is the professional and personal relationship between Nam Jung-Gi and Ok Da-Jeong , and the evolution of Lovely Cosmetics as a business (mostly the second one).

The story is super interesting. The way the workers at Lovely Cosmetics are able to overcome every obstacle in their way is very satisfying and fun to watch. The individual progress in each character is also great. This drama not only develops the main leads, but also the secondary characters. It takes its time to explain each one of them and show why they're who they are. Of course, this is only possible because the actors are very good. All of the actors do a great job.

Speaking of acting, both Yoon Sang Hyun and Lee Yo Won are great in thir respective roles. Lee Yo Won is particularly great. Her character starts as annoying and rdiculously stubborn, but, as the episodes go on, you get to know her past and start to like her. Also, the main leads have a lot of chemistry, so you actually buy into their relationship dynamics.

I recommend this if you like strong female leads and shows that are not solely centered on romance. It's super fun and will keep you interested from start to finish.

Leia Mais

I won't be the first (or the last) person to mention how problematic the relationship between the main leads is. It's true that Noble, My Love tries to romanticize a relationship that's obviously toxic, but I won't center my review on that. I don't like to criticize things based on how politically correct they are.

So... Is Noble, My Love a good series? Well, it certainly was enjoyable to watch. It's mostly corny and light-hearted, but that's kind of its style, and it works rather well. The acting is probably the best thing this drama has to offer. The main leads have a lot of chemistry and their feelings for each other feel palpable. As for the quality of its story, it's just OK-ish. The plot is generic and it's full of common tropes and clichés, but the series is so short they don't become tiresome. I wouldn't say they're much of a problem and shouldn't affect much.

I would recommend it for someone who's in the mood for watching something light and short.

Leia Mais

Tsuki wa docchi ni deteiru is an interesting film in that it paints a clear picture on the situation of immigrants in Japan during the late 80s / early 90s. It's fascinating to see through the eyes of a korean immigrant and how racist Japanese were towards them and others, particularly filipinos.

I understand this film was a cultural milestone in Japanese cinema, since it was the first movie that tackled racism in a direct manner and portrayed immigrants in a positive way. I think it would be worth checking out films released during the same period of time and see how the film industry in Japan evolved. I'll get into it eventually.

Leia Mais

Chinese remake of the classic dorama from the Philippines of the same name. I haven't watched the original Meteor Garden or read Boys over flowers, so this review will make no comparisons. I'll rate this only on its own merits

First of all, Meteor Garden's story is fun and super entertaining, but a bit too overly complicated at times. This would make the series very heavy, if it weren't for the "light-heartedness" that constantly looms over. I personally like this because I'm not too keen on unnecessary drama in fiction. Meteor Garden balances its comedy and drama aspects pretty well, actually. It has just the necessary amount of both.
As for the acting, it's mostly good. Shen Yue is awkward at times, but it kind of fits her character, so no problems there. Dylan Wang is good, no bad things to say here either. The supporting cast does a great job as well, mostly the F4. However, the best aspect of Meteor Garden is, by far, the music. The soundtrack is simply amazing and complement the scenes very nicely.
I think my only problem with this drama is the last episode. The resolution of the conflict is satisfying, but I felt that the episode was unnecessarily dragged with musical numbers and the like. That time could've been better employed with closing certain sub-plots in a more satisfying way.

Overall, I really enjoyed Meteor Garden. It was fun and interesting enough to keep me watching almost non-stop.

Leia Mais